The Trial of the Malfoys
by otherrealmwriter
Summary: Draco and the rest of the Malfoy family are on trial for what they did during the Second Wizarding war. But how will Draco take this? Has he matured? What will become of them? Written for the Writer's Anonymous Character Development challenge.


**I do not own Harry Potter okay? This is my one-shot fic for the Writer's Anonymous Character Development challenge and as I got to thinking, well the Draco and the whole Malfoy clan has a lot you can work with in the last few books. But enough of this A/N, on with the fic!**

Only the most honored of Death Eaters were at his rebirth. Lucius had seen him come back. Narcissa had just refused as it was not a wife's place to be there and as the matron of this generation of the Malfoy family she had a presence to maintain at the manor. Although she would never admit it to Lucius until years after the war ended, she was still trying to find her place in this pureblood mania after her sister Andromeda was disowned. Bellatrix had told her that it was because she wasn't "really one of us" and that they were better without her. But Narcissa being the baby of the family was treated well by both her sisters. So completely disowning Andromeda could never stick. But she never sought out her sister, so she just forgot about her. Acted like she never existed. Draco would be safe at Hogwarts with Snape there. At least she told herself that.

However, after he came back, the Malfoy family was eager to go back to their old roles before Voldemort's downfall. It was only natural for them to do so. They had to prove that their loyalty to the Ministry was just a farce anyway. Besides, Draco was doing well to keep down those troublemakers at Hogwarts. He knew that Voldemort was back. He was a Death Eater's son after all. All he had to do was play his role in backing the Ministry as they tried to act like Voldemort hadn't come back and Harry was crazy. Potter wasn't that talented, wasn't as smart as he was and the fame he got wasn't hardly deserved. He survived a curse somehow that took out the Dark Lord. And because of his adventure at the Ministry, Lucius was in Azkaban and he was the hero again. Draco hated Harry. Hated Dumbeldore beyond the typical student disdain for the headmaster, he hated everything and everyone that put his father into Azkaban and he was going to restore the Malfoy honor.

However, restoring family honor was not as easy as Draco thought it would be. It seemed so simple when Voldemort gave him the assignment.

"Draco, young Draco." Voldemort said as he sat in a plush wing back chair in the library of Malfoy manor. For some reason though, this did not sit right with Draco, Voldemort living in his house. Sure, he may have been the Dark Lord but it felt as if a foul invader made himself right at home in his house.

"Yes My Lord?" Draco asked bowing.

"Your father proved a disappointment. I thought he and some of my most favored Death Eaters would be able to take on a few teenage brats. I was mistaken. However, I know how intelligent and skilled you are. Your Aunt Bellatrix goes on lovingly about your abilities at school." Voldemort said. He noticed Narcissa looking in on the conversation out the corner of his eyes. "Oh now Narcissa, your son is almost a man. You don't need to be hovering over him as if he was a child. Draco understands full well what it would mean to fail and suffer my displeasure." He cast a deadly look that Draco understood that if he were to fail, that would be the end of the Malfoy family.

"Sorry My Lord..." Narcissa said as she walked away and headed out the manor to the one man who she knew would be able to help Draco at this point. _Blood purity be damned. Draco is my son._

"I will do whatever you ask of me My Lord." Draco said as he looked at the Dark Mark that appeared on his left arm.

"That shows your alliance to me and my followers. They are your family now. We will help you. But the ultimate goal of this assignment is on you Draco. It is challenging and you will need to do this by the end of your sixth year. The end of this school year." Voldemort said.

"Yes My Lord." Draco bowed in nervous excitement. "What is it?"

"Eager to help me." Voldemort smiled in a way that gave Draco a shiver in his spine. "Fine. You will need to kill Albus Dumbledore. You are most prized for this task and most needed. You see no one would suspect you of killing the headmaster, although many would suspect Snape. That is why I did not give him the task. I will tell him about it to help you but in the end the task must fall to you."

Draco paused but regained his composure. "Yes, I will do it My Lord."

"Good." Voldemort said turning from Draco. "Now, let that be the last doubt you have about this job."

That scene had been nearly 3 years earlier as Draco sat in the Department of Mysteries staring at his mother and father. The Battle of Hogwarts was over and the Ministry under the new Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebot had rounded up the old Death Eaters and this time put them through more through trials than the last time to make sure that there could never be a repeat of the last fall of the Dark Lord. He had been kept up at right days before the trial fearing what would happen. Since Dumbledore's death he had been questioning if the old blood line was really worth what was happening. He saw Voldemort use his father and mother like they were stray dogs and nothing more. He set them up for failure in missions just to abuse them afterwards. Sure his father didn't get the prophecy but he thought that what Voldemort was doing was even worse torture than the Cruciatus curse. Physical pain was one thing. That ended and while you were frightened by the idea of it after and could be damaged by it in your mind, it was a different kind of fear than being used and set up for failure and then punished.

 _He knew we weren't going to succeed in any venture deep down and he was just punishing us for the past! How was Father to know he would come back? That diary thing? Well maybe the Dark Lord should have just explained to Father how important it was!_ Draco thought as he stared angered at the all. Since the worst of the old regime happened in Draco's seventh year and he was of age, he was to be held accountable at the trial as well.

He heard a door open at the end of the hall and saw Harry Potter come in and talk to the guard. "I received an owl that the Malfoy trial was today at 1 o'clock."

"Have a seat over there Mr. Potter." The guard said. "The Greengrass trial is running longer than we expected to. I will inform the Minister you are here for your testimony."

Harry sat down in a seat across the hall from Draco. He nodded at him. "Malfoy." He said plainly, with no hint of any emotion.

"Potter." Draco said back, in the same plain nonchalant manner.

"Don't worry son." Narcissa said as she held Draco close. "We'll find a way to get by. I love you."

"I love you too Mother." Draco said blankly. _Did you have to do that in front of Potter Mother?_ Draco thought. "And don't say a word about this Potter." He said sternly over to Harry.

"Well, I had no intention of bringing up how much of a Mama's Boy you are unless I thought it would help your case." Harry smirked.

"I would ask you boys to remain adult at this matter." Lucius said speaking up for the first time since he entered the Ministry building. "I know there is well deserved animosity between you two but you are adults now. Act like it."

"Sorry Mr. Malfoy." Harry said as he fell silent.

"Good. I do not know what will become of us all but we must act in a serious manner and hope mercy is shown. The Malfoy family's regret is sincere." Lucius said. "Nearly losing all that we had taught me what was really precious." He said as he looked at Narcissa and Draco.

"Malfoy, Lucius, Malfoy, Narcissa, Malfoy Draco, you may enter now." Percy Wesley said as he called them in for the trial. "Harry, you may come in too, we have a seat set aside for when you are to give your testimony."

Draco walked in behind his mother and father and sat down in 3 chairs with chains rattling on their sides. He sat down and stared at the court. He noticed the Minister, along with Hermione Granger, Arthur Weasley and a few other wizards he had known that had worked at the Ministry from all the times his father had taken him along on a visit. The chains rattled but did not restrain them. He looked up at the court and noticed there was no real emotion on their face. No pleasure to put away a famous family of Death Eaters, but no signs of regret either. Draco grabbed his left arm and scowled at the Wizengamot. _So this is how you want to rebuild ties with the Pure Blood families you damned Mudblood._ Draco thought. No matter how much regret he had, some old ideas and grudges would not go away easily. No matter what became of Hermione, he could never like her and seeing her on the Wizengamot for his trial did not sit well with him. He wanted to curse her to oblivion but yet he couldn't imagine how or tell if it was even a real feeling or one brought on by stress and worry.

"We are here to try the Malfoy family for crimes against Wizardkind." Kingsley Shacklebot said as he looked down at them. "Evidence for these crimes comes from the list of known Death Eaters and accounts of their actions in helping Lord Voldemort in his control of the Ministry and attempts to purge the Wizarding world of Muggle-borns. Do any of the accused wish to speak on their own accord?"

Draco looked to his mother and father and motioned for one of them to speak with his eyes. He did not want to have to explain himself to the whole Wizengamot without them saying something as well. Sighing, Lucius spoke up. "I have no defense to give. I obeyed the Dark Lord and the Ministry knows what I have done and I have served my time in Azkaban for it."

Draco sighed. His mother was too scared to speak, so he got up and started. "We followed the Dark Lord's orders. I will not deny that. When I was younger I was delighted to do so. But as his regin went on, he tortured me and my family with orders we could never fulfill then tortured us for said failure. He expected me to fail when he ordered me to kill Dumbledore. Yes I admit I did attempt on his life. I will not deny that. But I will not also deny that he threatened me and my family. I am no Gryffindor that will stand up to anyone and say 'No I will not follow the order because it was wrong.' I only wanted not to be killed and as a Pureblood of the old Sacred Twenty-eight line, I was expected to back Voldemort. I did as I was expected to do. But at the Battle of Hogwarts, I just wanted to find my family and stay out of either sides' way. All I cared about was my family. Everyone and everything else be damned." He sat down again and looked away. _That's going to keep me out of Azkaban. Well it should. Maybe._

"Witness for the defense, Harry James Potter." Harry said as he got up and looked at Kingsley.

 _Oh boy, this is it..._ Draco said. _Potter is going to put me and my family away. You save me from the Fiendfyre and now throw us to the Dementors..._

"Court recognizes Harry James Potter." Kingsley said as Harry stood by Draco's chair.

"I am not here to rebuke the Malfoy's crimes that were committed under Voldemort's reign. We all know what they did. What I am here to provide is an account of events that happened at the Battle of Hogwarts to show what I feel is the proof that while some old grudges may never go away, that the Malfoys have learned an important lesson. Draco came looking for me when I was looking for a Horcrux hidden in the Room of Requirement. The way he demanded I come with him to Voldemort. He was ordering Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle down from killing me then and there. But it was not a firm order. It was one full of fear. Once the room was destroyed, I never saw him again but he did not want to fight. He did not want anything more to do with the battle. He kept thinking about how he was going to be killed if he did not make Voldemort happy and bring him me. I recall when I used a harmful curse on him in our sixth year that he was breaking down in the boy's restroom about failing Voldemort. In the Astronomy tower, I can testify he panicked before Dumbledore was killed. He was almost crying that 'I have got to do it, they will kill my family'" Harry paused and looked over at Narcissa Malfoy, who had her face in her hands, almost silent tears of fear coming from her face. " And the rest of the Malfoy family is not alone in this remorse. Narcissa lied to Voldemort about my death so she could get back to the castle and to Draco and Lucius. This was before the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. I ask that while they must be held accountable for what was known to be done as with any other Death Eater, that this be factored in on the punishment. I will not deny the bad blood between Draco and I but I also cannot stand by and let someone who has learned much be punished more than they should be. Draco and I will never be bosom chums but I have respect for him that in time his priorities shifted from an unrequited hatred of people he never really talked to to his family. And while not directly fighting against Voldemort, he did end up leaving the Death Eaters to protect the people he cared about, which are his mother and father. The defense rests." Harry sat down.

"The court will take a recess to determine the Malfoy family's fate." Kingsley as the Wizengamot headed to a back room to discuss the matter.

"Potter, you really find me brave for what I did?" Draco said.

"You had your priorities in a better place." Harry said with a smile.

"Humph." Draco said. "But if they use what you said to throw us to the Dementors, I will never forgive you."

"I didn't want you to. I couldn't stand by when it was your mother who got me back to the castle to make sure the battle was finished. Do you know how hard it would have been for her to lie to Voldemort?" Harry said.

"Very." Draco smiled at his mother. "She's a caring woman." Narcissa smiled at her son's praise.

"Will the Malfoy family please rise?" Kingsley said. Draco, Lucius and Narcissa stood up. "While the Malfoy family has been proven to be Death Eaters who helped Lord Voldemort, they were proven to have abandoned the Death Eater's fight in the Battle of Hogwarts and their remorse been attested to by Harry James Potter in his defense testimony, we have decided not to send them to Azkaban but as recompense for aiding the Death Eaters, they must donate 200 Galleons a month to Hogwart's fund for underprivileged wizards and witches and participate in their program to help Muggleborns with their first year at Hogwarts. Court adjourned." With this Kingsley banged his gavel and the Wizengamot left. "You are free to go."

As the Wizengamot left the courtroom, Lucius and Narcissa stood close together, holding each other close. Draco got up and put his hand on Harry's shoulder as he went to leave the courtroom.

"Harry." Draco said.

"Wow, that is the first time you used my first name since we met." Harry said astonished.

"Well, I respect you. You saved me and my family from the Dementors. You never stop saving our skins." Draco said.

"Well, like I said, we can never be best friends but I couldn't let you fry for what you didn't do." Harry said.

"Well thanks a lot." Draco said as he headed back to his family. "Listen. I might drop you an owl from time to time. Just to check in on you. You have got a nice witch there looking after you. Make sure you treat her well."

"I will." Harry said. "Oh and Astoria asked about you on the way out from her family's trial. I will tell her you are a semi-free man."

"Thanks Potter." Draco waved.

"Don't mention it Malfoy." Harry said as he left.

 **So how was that? Good? Bad? Long? Let me know in a review. This was for the WA character development challenge and there seemed to be a little that went on after the war with Draco, so I used the trial to work on it. Well don't forget to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now,**

 **otherrealmwriter**

 **aka**

 **Realm**


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